«World Religions Founders»
«Krishna»
In different eras great individuals have brought forth teachings about God and the way to reunion with Him.
All religions talk about the need to find God and to establish a condition of brotherhood among people.
All religions have a moral code, such as the Ten Commandments and the Golden Rule, which says to love your neighbor as yourself. The difference between religions only lies in dogma. When people come to realize the versatility of different religions and teachings, they will cease to be seen as sources of division. The conflicts and tensions between religions will cease if their adherents become aware of God within themselves. This will bring in an era of true brotherhood. Those who experience God within themselves can recognize His presence in other individuals and in any temple He enters.
«Fiery Zarathustra»
The great prophet Zoroaster was the founder of Zoroastrianism, the religion of ancient Persia. At the age of thirty he received a revelation. Ahura Mazda (Wise Lord) gave him the Doctrine, which he later began to preach.
Zarathustra was able to convert king Vishtasp, queen Hutaosa and their courtiers . Through their efforts, knowledge about reincarnation, karma and hierarchy spread throughout the country. Zarathustra taught his followers the Way of mystical union with God and victory over evil.
The teachings of Zoroaster state that a person is able to emit light in virtue of his fiery nature. Currently, the Ascended Master Zarathustra is the greatest of all the Keepers of the Sacred Fire, as attested to in the Teachings of the Ascended Masters.
«Gautama Buddha»
Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, was born in 563 BC in the foothills of the Himalayas near the border of India and Nepal in Kapalavastu. He was a prince of the Shakya clan and was named Siddhartha, which in Sanskrit means «the most perfect from mortal». The name Gautama means «the Most Victorious in the Earth». The term buddha means «awakened» in Sanskrit. At twenty-nine years old Gautama vowed to attain enlightenment and save mankind from suffering. One day, after deep meditation under a Bo tree, he attained enlightenment. His whole being was transfigured, and he became a Buddha.
He taught the four noble truths, which explain the nature and causes of human suffering. In a forty-five year period preceeding his ascension in 483 BC, Gautama Buddha traveled the country preaching the doctrine that all animate life has a Buddha nature, and therefore anyone can become a Buddha.
«Moses»
Moses was entrusted by God with the task of uniting the children of Israel. Moses struggled to separate them from the tribes of idolaters and led God's chosen people for forty years through the desert to allow for the birth of a generation of lightbearers. They had to be a holy nation, chosen to carry the Word of the Law.
God called Moses to Mount Sinai to give him the scrolls of the law as revealed by God, though the majority of the people were not able to assimilate and embrace them. After the death of Moses, the Israelites mingled with idolaters, and fell so low that God departed from them, allowing that them to be enslaved by the Assyrians and the Babylonians and to be scattered all over the world.
There is a dogmatic sense of chosenness in the Jewish nation. In fact, the true Israelites are the children of Reality, advanced souls, carrying great light. They are now embodied in many different countries and among many 0different nationalities, and are among the most highly spiritually developed souls in embodiment.
In the age of Aquarius they have been given a new opportunity to break away from the idolatrous generation, (not in terms of place or location, but in terms of mind and spirit),
and to bring the word of the law to the nations.
«Lao Tzi»
The Chinese sage Lao Tzi, who lived in the sixth century BC is considered the founder of Daoism. His name means "Old Master", and he was a contemporary of Confucius. Most historians recognize Lao Tzi as the author of the mystical teachings "Dao De Jing".
According to legend, before leaving China Lao Tzi wrote down his teachings and then crossed the border, after which nobody ever heard from him again. In the Tang era (VII-IX century BC) Lao Tzi was canonized as a Saint.
His written teachings consist of only five hundred words. To this day, "Dao De Jing" is one of the holy books of the East. The number of languages into which it has been translated is second only to the Bible. The main theme of the book is the way of life. It gives guidance on following the Tao (the Way) that can lead anybody to gain in adeptship and connect with God.
«Confucius»
Confucius who lived from 551 to 479 BC, is the founder of the religion of Confucianism and one of the greatest teachers from among the Chinese people. He has had a great impact in philosophical, social, economic and political spheres. Thanks to his theoretical principles, China became one of the great civilizations of the world.
For over two thousand years, the philosophy of Confucius prevailed in Chinese culture, education, and government. Over time, his ideas have spreaded throughout East Asia. They continue to exert their beneficial effect on a large number of people around the world.
Currently, the Ascended Master Confucius serves on the second ray of Wisdom. As explained in the Ascended Masters transmitted through Mark and Elizabeth Clare Prophet, Confucius is still working to create heaven on Earth through the principles of divine government, not only in China but throughout the world.
«Jesus walking the Waves»
Jesus came at the beginning of the age of Pisces to demonstrate the path to individual Christhood. Jesus was the Christ, but never declared himself to be the one and only Son of God. Rather, he said: "I ascend unto my Father and your Father, and to my God and your God." (John 20:17). With these words the Savior proclaimed equal opportunities for all children of God to be reunited with their Father in heaven. In the beginning of the Christian era, people generally had a much better understanding of the mission and message of Jesus Christ than most do today. The followers of Arius and Origen believed in reincarnation and a spiritual resurrection.
The life of Jesus was an example of a life lived in the fullness of the real image. The Gospel says that not only Jesus, but all children of God can attain to that level of divine consciousness: "let the mind be in you that was also in Christ Jesus;" “know you not that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you, and that you are not your own, for you were bought with a price.” As God said, "I will dwell in them, and walk in them; I will be their God, and they shall be my people "(1 Cor. 3:16, 17; 6:19; 1 Cor. 6:16).
«Sufi»
The religious and mystical teachings of Sufism emerged in eighth and ninth centuries and has since spread throughout the Arab world and beyond. The doctrines of Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism and Christianity all influenced the development of islamic mysticism.
Islamic mystics believe in reincarnation and that man can become one with God. They believe that prayer and meditation are essential practices on the Path and during their prayer vigils they call the Light of God to cleanse the heart and the whole being.
Students are taught self-control, contemplation, the focusing on the heart and the monitoring of the mind.
Like other mystical traditions, sufism also stresses unity through brotherhood. There are several sufi schools. All are centred around a belief in the possibility of attaining to union with God.
Descriptions of the paintings is based on the Ascended Master Teachings as delivered through the messengers of the Great White Brotherhood, Mark L. Prophet and Elizabeth Clare Prophet